LANSING, N.Y. (WHCU) – Sometime in the near future, salvaged equipment from a Cornell baseball field will adorn athletic fields in Lansing.

The Big Red baseball team unveiled their new home, Booth Field, last weekend. Cornell is building a new academic building, the Ann S. Bowers College of Computing and Information Science (CIS), on the former site of Hoy Field, where Cornell played baseball for a century.

Hoy Field bleachers and press box

J P Reilly Construction is building the new CIS facility, which is slated to be completed in 2025. They’re currently prepping the site for construction, and part of that prep work is deconstructing the old field.

Recently, Lansing High School Principal Pat Hornbrook received a call from a friend, Bill Reilly, co-owner of J P Reilly Construction.

Hornbrook met with Lansing Central School District (LCSD) and determined there was some equipment they could utilize. Bill Reilly then connected with the Ithaca Laborers Union, who had some apprentices donate some hours to help disassemble the equipment. The equipment started being delivered to LCSD on Friday, April 21, 2023. LCSD Superintendent Chris Pettograsso said it all happened fast.

Pettograsso said J P Reilly has gone above and beyond.

Pettograsso added she’s thankful to the Ithaca Laborer’s Union for their support, and some of her own staff.

“We’re also grateful for our operations guys who came together and made it happen in a very short period of time,” she said.

The district is uncertain on a timeline as to when the equipment will be installed. Planning needs to happen, and foundations need to be poured for bleachers, other seating, and fencing. LCSD Businesses Administrator Kate Heath said it’s possible specialists will be needed to assemble the equipment.

Pettograsso said the equipment is likely to end up at three different fields; the baseball field, softball field, and Sobus Field, where the football team plays. She estimates the bleachers alone are worth more than $500,000.

Principal Pat Hornbrook is pleased with the outcome, particularly since J P Reilly likely would have made money by scrapping the material.

“It’s nice to see all these resources come together and make something happen so quickly to better our community,” said Hornbrook.